Machine for rolling car-wheel tires



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(No Model.)

W. E. WILLIAMS. MAG-EINE EUR ROLLING GAR WHEEL TIRES..

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(No Model.) 5 4 sheets-Sheet 2.

W. E. WILLIAMS. v

MACHINE EOE ROLLING GAE WHEEL TIRES. l No. 527,038. Pavnented Oct. 2; 1.894.

(NoMoael.) 4sh t-'sh J W. E. WILLIAMS.- ees e 3 MACHINE EOE ROLLING GAE WHEEL TIRES. l No. 527,038. Patented Oct. 2, 1894.

(No Model.) A' f Sheets-Sheet 4,l

- W. E. WILLIAMS. MACHINE FOR ROLLING CAR WHEEL TIRES.

No. 527,038.4 Patenteaot. 2,1894.

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[lilhllllll *flllllllllllllllwll IIIITED STA-TES- PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM n. wILLIAMs,or cI-IIcAGo, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR ROLLINGCAR-WHE'EL TIRES.

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,038, dated October 2, r1894.` Application filed September 21, 1892. Serial No. 446.457. (No model.)

To all whom ttm/ay concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. VS/'ILLIAML4 on the tire; and Figs. 7 and'S, details of aA modification.

In rolling tires or rims for Wheels to be used on street-cars, hand-cars, and other light railway-carriages, the function of the rolli'ngmachine is to transform a metal hoop or blank such as is shown in partial section at T (Fig. 5), into the form shown in partial section 4at T (Fig. 6), by rolling up, at one edge, the outer ange t, and turning down, at the opposite edge, the inner flange t.

The object of my invention is to producea machine by which these operations can be readily and conveniently performed; and the invention consists in the several mechanical combinations herein described and more particularly specified in the claims.

' In the drawings (see Fig. l), F is the frame 0f the machine, and P the driving-pulley, from whose shaft power is transmitted by bevel gears p jp to the shaft G of the exterior roll S, and thence by gear-wheels g h (see Fig. 2), to the shaft H of the interior rolls fr rr. The annular tire-hoop or blank, is, during the operation of the machine, gripped and held between the exterior roll S and the interior roll` fr; and it is therefore necessary that one or each of said rolls should be adjustable toward and from the other, to enable the blank to be inserted, gripped and removed. f I prefer to make the exterior roll stationary and the interior roll r adjustable for this purpose, and, accordingly, such is the form of machine, herein shown and described.

In this form of the machine, the stationary shaft G is mounted in bearings fixed lto the frame F, audits roll S is substantially cylinv drical and is provided with a circumferential groove s to'aid in forming the outer flange t of the tire, while vthe interior rolls r r are adapted to be 'moved toward and from the roll S.-

As thereflare various known means by `which one shaft or roll can be adjusted toward and from another, I do not limit my- .self to any specific form of device for adjusting the shaft H and its roll fr, although I prefer the construction illustrated in the drawing wherein the end of the shaft H, remote from the rolls, is mounted in arocking bearing h', and the end proximate to the rolls is mounted in a movable sash or frame E (see Fig. l), consisting essentially of a bearingblock c, a cross-head e and two side-rods a? e2 connecting the partsee. The sash is supported by the screw-rod E and the sleeve e and isprevented from lateral displacement by the sides of the opening in the tableF within which closely lits said sash being adjusted by means of a screw-rod E suitably mounted in the frame of the machine and screwing throughthe cross-head so as to swing the roll-end of the shaft without disengaging the gears g h. One of the interior rolls fr, (whichy may be termed the feed-roll), is cylindrical andfc'oncentrically xed upon the shaft Hso as to partake of all the movements thereof, while the other, r (which may be termed the Hanging-roll), is provided with a large central opening through which the shaft H extends (see Fig. 2), and is adjustable toward and from the roll S independently of the above-described adjustments of shaft H and roll fr', and is provided with a circumferential rib r2 operating to press the tiremetal into the groove s to form up the outer liange tof the rim or tire. This use of two interior rolls, one of which is separately adjustable in its relations to the exterior roll, is the essential feature of my main invention. For the purpose of convenience and labor-saving in the practical operation of the machine, I prefer to make the roll fr" not only adjustable independently of, but also concurrently with,its companion roll r. To accomplish the independent adjustment of roll Ir', it is necessary that it should have a central opening, r3, around shaft H, sufficiently large to permitsuch adjustment, and that it should be mounted on a special bearing adapted to ICO be moved by a dierent lever from that em` ployed in adjusting roll r and its shaft. ToV accomplish; at the same time, the concurrent adjustment of rolls r r', it is necessary that the special bearing of roll r should be supported by and movable with the sash E or other device for adjusting roll 0^,so that whenever roll r is adjusted roll r will move with it, while roll r can itself be moved without moving roll fr.

There are various forms of means in which these mechanical principles may be embodied, but I prefer the form illustrated in the drawings, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) in which the roll fr is provided with an annular bearingange fm mounted in a movable bearing-block M articulated at m to a level M which in turn is articulated at m2 to another lever M2 that is connected by a fulcrum-pin 'm3 to a suitable lug formed on the sash E or bearingblock e. At the end of the levers M M2 opposite to the connection m2, the lever M2 is articulated to a pin projecting from the side of a sleeve n held between collars nron arod N, which extends loosely through the sleeve; while the other lever M is similarly articulated to the side of a nut N screwing upon the rod N. It follows that by turning the screw-rod E both of the rollsr 0" are adjusted simultaneously and equally toward or from the roll S, while by turning the rod N the lever M is operated and the roll r is adjusted toward or from the roll S without disturbing the roll r. The rodl N is made in two parts connected by a link 'n2 to enable its lower end to accommodate itself to the action of the levers, and is provided with a crank or turn wheel n3.

The operation of this machine, so far as above described, is as followsz-InA order to remove a completed tire from between the interior and exterior rolls, said rolls are separated, as shown in Fig. 2, by operating the rod E', and then, by an operation of therod N, the Hanging-roll r is moved still farther away from roll S to the position shown inFig. 5, thereby withdrawing its rib from the ange and releasing the tire. The tire is then removed and a fresh hoop or tire-blank inserted between the interior and exterior rolls, with its opposite side passing around a guide roll I (Figs. 2 and 4E), and, by a movement of the rod E', is gripped firmly between the roll S and the feed-roll r, and thereby caused tobe rotated around its central axis. The attendant now operates rod N so as to bring the flanging-roll r against the revolving hoop or blank and cause it to bend the metal into the groove s', and he gradually increases this bending pressure until, finally, roll lr is brought concentric to shaft H and with its peripheral surface continuous with that of roll fr as shown in Fig. 6, which finishes the outer flange 2f of the tire. The inner flange 1f is formed by a spinning-woll a mounted on an oscillating yoke-bar A (see Fig. l), which is pivoted at a a' to the frame of the machine int such manner that the axis of its oscillation comes inlinewith the lowerinner corner of the spinning-roll, above the upper inner corner of roll S, and distant therefrom about the thickness of the metal blank. So arranged, the spinning-roll can be swung over from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6, and if this be done gradually while 'the blank is rotated by the action of the other rolls, the outer projecting edge of the blank will be spun down to the form required for the internal Iiange t', as shown in Fig. 6. To enable the attendant to operate the spinning-roll, the yoke-bar .A is provided with a lever or handle A (Fig. 4), by which to rock it on its pivots, and, to aid in holding the spinning-roll in any desired position, the lever A may be provided with a spring-pawl a2 engaging in notches in the edge of a curved retaining plate as.

In all prior machines for rolling up the ange t of a wheel-tire, so far as I am aware, a pair of interior and exterior rolls has been used, in which each roll has been made in one solid block xed concentrically upon its shaft. The result is, that when the rolls are brought together, the rib on the inner roll first touches the tire-blank, before the cylindrical surface of said roll is able togrip the body of the tire-blank against the opposing outer roll, nor will the tire be properly gripped and fed until after the Hanging operation is substantially completed, but, on the contrary, it will be held merely by the outer edge of the rib r2, at the inner side, and the corners of the groove s at the outer side. The consequence is, that the tire is liable to be distorted and, in some instances, to be cut or worn through at the flange. In my machine, the body of the tire is first gripped and firmly held between the rolls rS; the feeding is therefore perfectly regular and no distortion can take place; the corners of thegroove s are relieved from the duty of holding` the tire and therefore do not tend to cut or wear it, and the rib can be moved gradually toward the groove so as to insureathe best conditions of work.

As a matter of mere mechanical construction, I prefer to confine the roll r and its bearing M between the inner end of the roll r and the outer face of a washer or collar c at the end of the bearing-block e, and to make the block e adjustable longitudinally of the shaft H by means of a collar c anda setscrew c2. These parts can be readily adj usted so as to make the Hanging-roll r run perfectly true, 'and yet without unnecessary friction. The roll r should lbe laterally adjustable, in one direction, to the point where it becomes` concentric with the shaft H, as shown in Fig. 6, and, in the other direction, to the point where the outer edge of rib 'r2 comes in line with the gripping-surface of the feed-roll fr, as shown in Fig. 5, any further range of adjustment being` unnecessary and, therefore, preferably avoided.

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It Willof course, be understood that a mere reversal of the position of the stationary and adjustable roll-shafts-for example, by making the interior roll fr and its shaft non-adj ustable, and the exterior roll and shaft adjustable, or even by making both of them adjustable, While retaining my independently adjustable ribbed interior roll r-or arranging the shafts in a horizontal orinclined plane instead of a" vertical plane as shoWn,-would involve mere changes in mechanical details without affecting the character or scope of my principal invention.

Fig. 7 shows the cross-section of a rimblank, having an inner flange o preliminarily formed upon it near the middle instead of being afterward spun up at the edge, and therefore, for rolling up the outer fiange t on this class of rims, the machine should be modified by omitting the spinning-devices, and also by providing in roll r a peripheral groove o' to accommodate the interior flange o, as illustrated in Fig. 8. In such case, also, even if the roll S be made adjustable, it is best to make either the roll fr or the guide roll I also adjustable, to facilitate the application of the rim-blank around rolls fr I, and the removal of the finished rim therefrom.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. yIn a machine for rolling metal rims or tires for car-wheels, the combination of an exterior grooved roll and an interior roll, adapted to grip the tread of the tire between them and feed the tire along, with a ribbed and independently adjustable interior roll adapted to roll up the outer flange of the rim or tire; substantially as described.

2. In a machine for rolling metal rims or ltires for car-Wheels, the combination of a stationary exterior grooved roll and an adjustable interior roll, adapted to grip the tread of the tire between them and feed the tire along, with a ribbed and independently adjustable interior-roll adapted to ro'll up the outer ange of the rim or tire; substantially as described.

3. In a machine for rolling metall rims or tires for car-wheels, the combination of an exterior grooved roll and an adjustable interior roll, adapted to grip the tread of the tire between them and feed the tire along, with a ribbed interior roll, adjustable both with and independently of the plane roll, andadapted tov roll up the outer flange of the rim or tire; substantially as described.

4. In a machine for rolling metal rims or tires for car-Wheels, the combination of an exterior grooved roll and an interior plane roll, adapted to grip the tread of the tire between them and feed the tire along, a ribbed and independently adjustable interior roll adapted to roll up the outer flange of the rim or tire, and a rocking spinning-roll adapted to turn down thel inner fiange of the rim or tire; substantially as described.

5. In a machine for rolling metal rims or tires 'for car-wheels, the combination of an exterior grooved' roll, an interior roll fixed toits shaft, and an interior ribbed roll, of annular form, encompassing said shaft and laterally adjustable with relation thereto; substantially as described.

6. In a machine for rolling metal rims or tires for car-Wheels, the `combination of the shafts G H and their rolls S r r', with the adjustable sash E controlling the position of shaft H and its roll r, and the adjustable bearing M controlling the position of roll 7"; substantially as described.

'7. In a machine for rolling metal rims or tires for car-wheels, the combination of the shafts G H and their rolls S 7" fr', with the adjustable sash E controlling the position of shaft H and its roll li', and ,the adjustable bearing M, supported by the sash E, and controlling the position of the roll r; substantially as described.

. 8. In a machine for rolling metal rims or tires for car-wheels, the combination of the shaft H, the roll r, the adjustable support'E and its operating device E the roll r and its independently adjustable bearing M mounted upon the support E, and the levers M M2 mounted and connected as described and provided with an operating-device N; sub-V stantially as described.

` W. E; WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

L. HILL, J. W. HILL. I 

